Beneath the North Star
by JkawaiiNeko
Summary: Winter works from sunrise to sunset on Levana's plantation, her hallucinations tormenting her beneath the hot summer sun. A slave, she can only dream to be with Overseer Jacin Clay. But when talk of freedom buzzes around the plantation and the headstrong Cinder comes to town to take back her long-lost friend, Winter just may have a chance of escaping the shackles that binds her.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, most of you voted that I should do both stories plus I couldn't get this little plot bunny out of my head! If you don't know what I'm talking about and love Cresswell, you should go read "At Your Service, Captain!" (Yup. Shameless advertising for my own story). Anyways, this story is technically Jacinter but I can't say that there will be plenty of fluffy moments and I'm not sure how long this story will be. This story will be rated M soon due to violence, sexual references, and strong language...but I'm keeping it rated T for now for some exposure.**

 **And a special thanks to Marissa Meyer! With Black History Month a few days away I really wanted to get this story going and with me being an African American, I really appreciate that she would make Winter the most beautiful girl on Luna. You don't really see a lot of main characters who are Black and they are usually a side character if they are. Anyways, whether you're Black, White, Yellow, Purple, Blue...I hope you enjoy this story! Sorry for the long author's note.**

* * *

Jacin Clay sucked in a breath of the late morning air as his large boots caused his wooden deck to creak. The smell of dirt and gunpowder reached his nose and his intense blue eyes looked out to see his father, rifle in hand, practicing his shot with a row of mason jars. Jacin couldn't forget the weight of the whip at his side even as he trekked over to his father. The older man nodded, shifting a wisp of hay in his mouth.

"Mornin', son."

"Mornin'." Jacin replied back shortly. He was still working on forgiving the man. Back when he had just turned sixteen years old, two females from the infamous Blackburn plantation had shown up to their door, demanding to speak to the man of the house.

After a quick conversation in their small living room, Jacin had been called in. He immediately had laid eyes on a girl with fiery red hair and freckles. She wore a black dress with red trimming, a red corset and a red shawl with a hood. The women, who looked older than the both of them had dark hair, pale, flawless skin and serious grey eyes. Suspicious, he narrowed his eyes at them.

The Blackburn house was infamous because the owner was a _woman._ After the untimely death of her husband, it had been discovered that the deed to the plantation, all of his money, all of his slaves had been entrusted to her. It was unheard of for a woman to run a plantation by herself. To make matters worse, she had loved to add insult to injury by sending out women on their own to run her errands. To top it all off, there were rumors that Levana had actually been the one to kill her husband, not a slave, as Levana had told everyone.

Jacin knew that women were not as fragile as society would have them labeled as but he still did not approve of women traveling without protection. Men were disgusting creatures who loved to take advantage of women, after all.

"This is the boy?" the woman with dark hair stood, while the girl who seemed to be about his age only stared and stayed quiet. She neared him, her dark purple skirts not slowing her down as she seemed to stand right next to him in an instant. "He is indeed sturdy."

Jacin looked at his father with a questioning eye, but the man only nodded his head and kept his head down. "Yes ma'am, Ms. Mira. Jacin is athletic, strong. He's got a watchful eye like you need for an Overseer."

"Overseer?" Jacin spat, glaring at his father, then down at the dark haired woman.

The woman grinned and held up a sheet of parchment, which Jacin took and began to read over, his heart plummeting up into his throat. "That's right, young Jacin," she said. "To pay back the money that your father and mother borrowed years ago, you will work for the great widow Levana Blackburn as an Overseer until your twenty-first birthday."

Her signature, along with his father's, was at the bottom of the document. Sybil Mira. A witch, if he'd ever seen one, smirked at him as he stared down incredously at her.

Jacin still had three more years until he would be finished paying off his father's debt. He knew Levana's game now. She frequently kidnapped kids like him and made them work without pay through their parents' debt. They were slaves, too, in a way. He hated her with a passion, but there was nothing he could do. Her Overseers had taught him to do their job.

He had tricked everyone into believing that he did not have the stomach to see blood so that he could avoid whipping the slaves, when in actuality he did not believe in beating them. He left that to the others. The slaves knew that if Jacin barked out an order, they'd better hurry and do it, unless they wanted one of the other Overseers to come.

Nodding to his father, he went to fetch his horse and mounted it. He rode his horse, feeling the summer day begin to heat up, until he arrived at the large Blackburn plantation. Hurrying, he went to the fields and called to Liam Kinney, who he was to relieve since the other boy had been working since sun-up.

"Jacin. See you tomorrow morn'." Kinney held out his hand, which Jacin stared at with a scowl, before Kinney shrugged and walked away, his blond locks cut short swinging back and forth.

Jacin couldn't decide if he liked Kinney or not. On one hand, the boy looked at the slaves with the same disgust and contempt that the other Overseers did. But Jacin could not deny the fact that Kinney did not seem to be as bad as the others, either. He did not beat the slaves without extremely good reason and when he did he did not go overboard with the lashes. A lot of the time, Jacin noticed, Kinney barely cracked their skin. Plus, Kinney hated Levana just as much as Jacin did. That had to count for _something_.

Jacin sighed and surveyed the field, eyes landing on _her._

With smooth dark skin, curly ringlets of black hair, full red lips and eyes that shone with mischief, it was hard not to notice Winter amidst the other slaves. She worked quickly beside her friend, the one they called Iko. Jacin had caught several other Overseers staring at Winter with hungry eyes. The thought made him want to punch them all in the face. He knew that if Winter wasn't under Levana's special protection, someone would have already taken Winter and done their worst with her.

He made his way through the fields, glaring at a slave who was moving too slowly.

'Please let today be a good day too' Jacin thought. Things had been normal for Winter lately. Well, as normal as a slave's life could be, he supposed.

* * *

The sun was merciless today, as it was quite often. Winter worked steadily nonetheless, fearful of the Overseers wrath. She was the quickest at picking cotton not because she enjoyed it or because she wanted to please her master but because her friend needed her to be.

Iko did not seem to have the same quick, nimble fingers that Winter did no matter how hard she tried so Winter had taken to doing enough work so that she could secretly slip cotton into Iko's basket. Sweat made their coarse dresses stick to their skin and drip from their foreheads despite their cloth-covered heads. Her throat was so dry that she thought even swallowing at this point would be detrimental. An older man had already passed out not too far from where Winter stood.

Winter focused. Focusing and keeping busy seemed to stop the visions. Today was a good day. It was the mantra she repeated over and over in her head.

She had not had visions in days and today would be no different. Perhaps her tortured mind was finally at ease. After all, she had begun learning three lettered words at night with Jacin. They weren't so hard. He said she was catching on quickly, which made her beam with happiness. She had learned the alphabet and could even spell her name in what seemed like no time at all. Not long after Jacin had come to work as an Overseer, her days had begun to move quickly.

Jacin was risking perhaps his very life by teaching her to read in the woods close to the plantation every couple of nights. The very least she could do was learn quickly.

She dared to let her eyes wander up from her work and search the field for his ponytail of blond hair or his striking blue eyes but stopped when she suddenly felt a prickling sensation on her fingertips. Eyes wide, she immediately looked down at them.

Her heart thumped against her ribcage.

"No," she whispered to herself sternly, shutting her eyes against the image. The sensation did not go away- it only grew. The burning was suddenly tearing at her flesh, melting her skin. She could smell her own roasting fingers. She opened her eyes again, confirming her belief.

Her hands were on fire.

"Winter?" Iko whispered next to her, pausing in her work to glance over at her with a concerned expression.

Winter bit her lip, holding in the urge to scream- to run and douse her hands in the nearest basin of water. If she did that, the field hands would know that she was hallucinating again and lock her in the box for who-knows-how long. It took every ounce of will in her body not to move. But that did not stop big globs of tears from rolling down her cheeks. The burning was intense, rolling up to her wrists, daring to eat her alive.

"Winter, it's not real. It's not real," Iko told her, but sounded so far away amidst the crackling of the fire.

It was the sun. Surely, the sun was too hot. It was so hot outside that the sun had set her on fire. Maybe The Box wouldn't be so bad after all.

"You two!"

When Winter looked up to see Aimery Park and Jacin Clay nearing her, her last ounce of willpower evaporated.

Because Jacin…the kind boy who was teaching her to read, who gave her extra scraps, who laughed with her beneath the moonlight…was on fire too.

Winter let out a shriek and reared back, kicking up dirt beneath her. She beat her hands against the ground, trying to stifle the flames so that she could get to Jacin without making his fire even worse. "No!" she shouted, enraged that the flames were growing instead of decreasing. She had to help Jacin!

At this rate she was going to be turned into a pile of girl-shaped ashes.

"Stupid slave," Aimery spat, his white skin tanned by the sun, his piercing eyes glinting. He grabbed Winter's arm roughly and pulled her to her feet before slapping her on her already scarred cheek.

She turned her eyes back to Aimery, who was not on fire even though Winter now wished that he was. As if the sting of his slap had decided to rule over the burning sensation, Winter suddenly realized that the fire was gone. She turned to Jacin, who only stood stoically frowning as Aimery practically dragged her away.

Relief washed through her seeing that he was perfectly fine, though she knew that he had never been on fire to begin with. She could hear him tell the rest of the slaves to get back to work before she regained herself and stood at her full height to walk the rest of the way to The Box.

The box was nothing but a wooden rectangle with a door that was located not too far from the slave quarters. When she had first started having her terrible hallucinations, screaming her head off, Levana had dismissed it with a wave of her long fingers and said simply, "put her in a box", to which her workers complied by actually building the blasted thing.

Winter thought this was funny, since it was probably Levana's fault that she was having mental breakdowns anyways. Doctors were almost positive that Winter's mind had cracked because of the constant stress and toil of being a slave out in the heat all day. Not to mention the fact that she had cracked her head falling down the stairs that unforgettable day Levana had scarred her face.

Confident that they were alone, Aimery swung her around so that her back was against The Box and gazed intensely down at her. Winter looked away, cursing his foul, sweaty smell and the way that he tried to cover it up with some type of spicy smelling cologne.

She cringed when she felt his hand cup her chin and pull her head back so that she was forced to look at him. "You know that you are still here because of me, girl. The least you can do is look me in the eye. One day I'll buy you off of the missus and you'll be mines to have each and every day."

It was a lie. Winter knew that it was not because of Aimery that she was still owned by Levana despite her insanity, but because of her father, who had been a slave as well. He had made Levana promise to keep her safe. But Aimery, thinking that she was a foolish slave that could not think for herself and was prone to hallucinations because she was weak, loved to try to make Winter believe that he was her savior- that she _owed_ him something.

"I'd hate to put such a pretty slave in here, but you know the rules," he said, fishing the key from his pocket and sticking it in the clunky key-box. Yet another lie, Winter thought, this man _loved_ to have powers over others. He loved putting her in here. "Cat got your tongue today, girl?" he asked. When she did not answer his smirk grew malicious. "That's fine. I doubt two days without food will kill you. I've seen slaves go longer."

With that, he pushed her into The Box and slammed the door, allowing the darkness to envelope her. She heard the lock snap into place.

Winter sighed. It was still midday so her cramped space was humid and stuffy. The only light that shone in was from the crack beneath the door. At night, this space became too cold and even darker. It was even worse when she had hallucinations in here because there was no one to calm her down or stop her from hurting herself. Once she had beaten her head against the wood surrounding her so badly that she had knocked her own self out.

In any case, she hated it in here, but was slowly becoming used to it.

Soon they would think up some other torture device to put her in when she hallucinated.

To make matters worse, whenever she lost a day or two inside of The Box, she was forced to work well past sunset even though she could barely see what she was doing. Those days, she would come back to her quarters so exhausted that she could barely move. She would fall into such a deep slumber that she could barely get up at sunrise without being shaken fiercely by Iko.

Iko.

Because of her stupid visions, Iko probably wouldn't have enough cotton and have less supper because of it. If the guards told Levana, she might even tell the guards to make an example out of Iko and beat her.

Winter squeezed her eyes shut and sunk down to sit on the ground, hugging her knees to her chest. To think that the same woman who was keeping a promise to a man that had been a slave was the same woman who could order slaves to be beaten within inches of their lives without even blinking was beyond confusing to Winter.

As the day droned on, Winter fell in and out of an uncomfortable sleep. Her muscles were starting to cramp so she stood up, then slid back down. She told herself a story, trying to spell out the three-lettered words and the only other name she knew how to spell. "W-i-n-t-e-r…m-e-t…J-a-c-i-n…and was the happiest slave on the plantation…a-n-d…they were…free," she whispered. That was another word she wanted to know how to spell. Free. She sounded it out, holding each syllable on her tongue as Jacin had taught her. "F…r….e…" she spelled. She was fairly certain that she was correct, but she would remember to confirm it with Jacin later.

Hours later, Winter was fighting against the hunger pangs in her stomach. She had missed the few supper scraps she was allotted. The Box was very dark now, telling her that it was night.

"Winter."

Winter perked up from her half-sleep. She gasped and huddled closer to the door. "Scarlet-friend, is that you?"

"Sshhh," she was shushed, but Winter could not help the grin that spread over her face. "Clay told me what happened. I brought you some scraps from the kitchen. Feel around for them."

Winter did what she was told, feeling around the crack beneath the door and almost cried of happiness when her fingers found the scraps of meat, bread and cheese that Scarlet was continuously pushing through.

"I am ever-most thankful, Scarlet-friend," Winter pushed out in between bites salted beef. "Perhaps when I am out of my box I will make you a special bracelet made of the finest leaves and flowers a slave can find."

Scarlet chuckled, pleasing Winter. "No need. You just keep your head up in there, Crazy."

Winter could envision with her hand against the door, whispering as near to it as she could, her eyes closed and her long curly hair tumbling over her shoulders. Winter pressed her hand to where she imagined Scarlet's was on the other side and nodded. "I will do just that."

"Jacin might not be able to visit you this time, but I'll see what I can do about coming tomorrow. I have to go now."

Winter heard the flurry of Scarlet's skirts followed by silence. She was gone. Winter sucked in a shaky breath. She had to be strong. She could stand two days of loneliness. If Jacin could not come, it was because he was trying to keep the both of them safe. She was lucky that Scarlet had even managed to come out tonight.

Scarlet frequently oversaw the slaves in the house, making sure they did their duties perfectly, but she was mostly Levana's errand-runner along with Sybil Mira. Winter had only met her because Scarlet saw to it that the younger slaves were growing healthy and strong, visiting slave quarters to do so. Winter had been making bracelets for the children and when Scarlet had spotted Winter, she had smirked and offered Winter a ladle of water.

Ever since then, Winter had known what true friendship was.

Levana glided down the hallways like a ghost, her long white sleeping gown trailing behind her like a wedding dress. She held up her candle for light, but otherwise the mansion she resided in was dark. She swung her door open and sat on her bed.

It had irritated to her to hear that the stupid slave, Winter, had been put into The Box again. It was possible that the slave was just faking mental illness to get out of work. Soon other slaves would follow along in this game, feigning insanity.

No. Levana would not let that happen. _Those_ slaves would be whipped remorselessly. Winter was lucky because she had promised Evret that she would keep his daughter safe. Turning to stare at herself in the mirror a slow smile started to grace her features.

Of course, Levana did not think that Winter receiving lashes was not keeping her safe. Even White children sometimes received punishments that hurt. No, Levana had different reasons that Winter's flawless skin would never be marred, other than the three scars that Levana had inflicted on her face years ago after her love's death.

Winter, so pretty despite her black skin, would be sold to the highest bidder…who was welcome to do with her as he pleased as long as he signed a contract stating that she would never be harmed. If they chose to take the girl's innocence was of no concern to Levana. Winter was seventeen years old now, a ripe age. It was only a matter of time before she could get rid of her insane slave.

She could keep her promise to the slave who had taken her heart and died with it in hand and make a profit at the same time.

Evret had been killed because of Levana's infatuation with him, but his daughter would live on as a prized possession to a great owner because of Levana too. Her heart could finally heal and finally be done with the whole matter, once she did not have to see Winter's face in her fields any longer.

A long howl in the distance caught Levana's attention, causing her to scowl. There was a dog or some other stray beast that seemed to live in the woods close to Levana's land. She would have to send out one of her Overseers to kill it one day if it kept making noise.

"Awwooooohhhhh!"

Levana gnashed her teeth together. It was faint, the slave quarters a good distance from Levana's dwellings, but she was sure she heard it.

That darn insane Winter howled _with_ the beast.

"Awoo," Winter said lowly, smart enough not to let out such a loud again unless she wanted to be tied up somewhere and forced to stand for the rest of her punishment. Still, she was sure that her night-friend had heard her. He called back to her, his voice strong when hers was weak. Perhaps if she pushed her final chunk of beef through the crack, he would wander up and eat it. Winter pushed the thought away, shaking her head with a melancholy smile. Perhaps one day. But not today.

"Goodnight, Ryu," she whispered, clinging to the remnants of his howls... Clinging to the hope that one day she would be free just like him.


	2. Chapter 2

It was risky, but Jacin couldn't take it anymore. He had to see her tonight. He knew that she would be let out an hour before sunrise tomorrow morning and forced to work until well past sunset after a meager breakfast of too-ripe fruit and cheese but the thought of Winter spending another night in that box made him sick.

It wasn't fair. It wasn't her fault that her hallucinations plagued her.

It was easy enough to sneak onto Levana's property. He knew every nook and cranny of the place. More importantly, he knew where Aimery dropped off the keys every night. Taking the key-ring from the hiding spot in a hole two trees away from Levana's large house, he felt the golden key in his hand before making his way to Winter.

He ran a hand down the wood until he found the keyhole and inserted it inside, slowly turning the key until the familiar pop of the lock resounded through his ears. He sucked a breath in, preparing for seeing Winter again, and then opened the door. He stared down at her. She was sitting on the ground, her head against her knees, her curly hair looking weighed down.

"Winter," he whispered, his voice suddenly dry and raspy. He watched as she slowly lifting her head, exposing her big brown eyes, then her full lips. He gripped the door- caught between a tide of emotions. Angry that she had been forced to stay in here, happy to see her.

She squinted for a second before a grin broke out on her face. "Jacin!" she yelled-whispered, hurrying to stand, her knees wobbling.

"Easy there," Jacin grabbed her elbow to steady her. He frowned, knowing that she was in pain from being in such a cramped space for so long. But the look on her face would never give it away. She was practically bouncing on the balls of her toes, but she suddenly stopped and backed back into The Box.

"Is it safe?" she asked..

He nodded. "Fat Man Thomas is on duty tonight. He's asleep," Jacin told her, earning a giggle from her. Everyone except Levana seemed to realize that Thomas was completely inept when it came to watching over the slaves at night. "I'll get you back here way before sunrise."

Winter bit her lip and gripped her skirts in her hands. "Jacin…I know I reek…we don't have to do anything tonight…"

Jacin rolled his eyes and pulled her out of her hiding spot. He titled her head up and stared down at her intensely. "Winter, I couldn't care less about how you smell right now. We're leaving. Now."

Winter gave him a mischievous smirk. "Why, Mr. Clay…you wouldn't be getting fresh with me now would you?"

He took her hand and led her into the woods, trying to focus on making sure that no one saw them instead of how soft her hands were despite the hours upon hours she worked in or the way she panted a bit as they ducked into the shadows, weaving amongst the trees beneath the moonlight. When they were far enough, Jacin easily started a fire and had Winter sit in front of it, then sat the food that he had brought for her next to her.

He sat beside her, pulling out his rolled-up parchment from his belt-holder then a quill-pen and ink from the small satchel he also carried. Winter beamed, excited to take the pen from his hand.

"Jacin, how do you spell _free_?" she asked innocently, staring up at him.

Jacin swallowed and narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

Winter blinked and leaned back. "What do you mean why?"

"You aren't planning on forging your freedom paper are you?"

The look that Winter gave him could've melted his face off, but Jacin swallowed down the pain and pushed forward. "That's _dangerous_ Winter. Even if you could get off of the plantation, people would still question you. Everyone in this town whispers about the slave who is impossibly beautiful that Levana owns."

Winter rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. " _Jacin_ I only wanted to know for the fun of knowing. What's the fun in spelling if I can't spell what I want to?" She pushed the parchment and pen towards him and gave him a pleading look. "Pretty please?"

Jacin scowled, but he took the pen anyways and wrote the word in big letters. Winter took the sheet back and looked at it. She laughed and looked back at him. "There's two letter E's."

Jacin nodded. "So how do you think you spell see? As in, I see you?"

Winter put a finger to her lip and thought about it. "C-e-e?"

Jacin smiled. "Good guess. S-e-e, though. It's confusing, but sometimes S can make the C sound."

Winter nodded and closed her eyes then blinked them open. "I'll remember that…you should've been a teacher, Jacin. You're good at it."

Jacin shrugged and prodded the fire with a stick. "I wanted to be a doctor…"

"You could do that too. You're very caring."

Jacin stopped moving. She was the first person he had told that he wanted to be a doctor. She was perhaps the only person who believed he could do it. The thought twisted Jacin's stomach. Perhaps he _could_ be a doctor. But all of his time was taken up by Levana and his father's debt. By the time he was finished paying her off, he'd be twenty-one. He would be so late in catching up on his studies that he couldn't see it mattering anymore. He would have to do something else to make money.

He glanced up at Winter, who was writing something on the parchment with a concentration that moved him. Every so often, she would take some meat and pop it into her mouth. How could anyone say that this girl was less-than human? That she was not just as intelligent and amazing as a white person? Winter believed in him and treated him better than anyone else did. If she were free, she would be a force to be reckoned with.

Freedom was North…away from Jacin…away from his watchful, protective eyes.

But how much protecting was he doing if he couldn't even stop her from being placed in that horrid box for two days straight?

Suddenly, she turned the paper his way and asked him a group of questions all at once.

They spent the rest of the night like that, Winter asking for more and more information, tying it into her writing, sounding out word after word, Jacin throwing harder and harder words at her.

Before the sun could come up, he stifled out the fire and led her back to The Box. Despite opening the door and stepping aside, Winter smiled up at him. He held the door open, as stoic as ever, feeling but not showing as she leaned up on the tips of his toes and placed a gentle, sweet kiss against his cheek.

When he closed the door behind her, he quickly ran from Levana's plantation, to where his horse was waiting a good distance away. He would go home and sleep for a few before rising again to head back to the plantation where he would watch Winter work under the relenting sun.

He wished for the millionth time that he could steal a _real_ kiss from her. He wished he could coax her lips with his own and plant all of his feeling into it.

But Jacin knew he could never do that.

One touch and he would crumble.

* * *

Scarlet hurried about the kitchen, keeping a watchful eye on the slave that cooked Levana's meals, making sure the dining room was set perfectly, making sure that Levana's life was _perfect._

Scarlet remembered that just a year ago she had lived happily with her grandmother on rather large farm that delivered crops to the local markets and food stalls.

When Sybil Mira had been sent to their home, she had come in with a dangerously evil glint in her eyes. Her grandmother had stood tall; she was always the strong-willed businesswoman.

"How did you think your grandmother managed to buy such a large portion of land?" Sybil had laughed as she and Scarlet had rode in the carriage on the way to Levana's land. "You should be _happy._ Your grandmother would have spent the rest of her life paying back that debt. Now you can pay it off by the time you are twenty-two."

Scarlet had told Sybil to shut her mouth, but on the inside she knew that Sybil's words rang with truth. Her grandmother had totally rejected the idea of Scarlet working for Levana, but Scarlet had stepped up and told her grandmother that she would be glad to help her come free of her debts to Levana Blackburn.

"Scarlet!"

Pushing her hair over her shoulder, Scarlet composed herself and schooled her features. She walked slowly into the living area and let her eyes glance over to Levana, who was standing with a man Scarlet had never seen before. That wasn't surprising though- they oftentimes had visitors.

Levana turned to her, her hands clasped in front of her, but a glimmer in her eye that Scarlet knew well. It meant she was about to say something that Scarlet wouldn't like.

"Scarlet, meet Wolf. Wolf, Scarlet."

The man nodded at her, his face stormy and serious. Scarlet gave a small curtsy in response and nodded back. His bright green eyes bore into her as she took in his rough but handsome features- spiky brown hair, scars marring his face, tanned skin.

"Wolf here is now my indentured servant," Levana said, running her long fingernails down Wolf's strong arm. Scarlet didn't miss the way he flinched then stiffened. "I want you to show him around the property and-"

"My deepest apologies for interrupting, madam," Sybil suddenly said from the doorway, a concerned expression on her face. "But I am afraid you have an unexpected visitor. I told them that you wouldn't see them until-"

"Yes, yes. Just send them in," Levanna interrupted her with a wave of her hand, her sugary tone suddenly turning sour. When Sybil curtsied and disappeared behind the door again she looked up at Wolf and smirked. "Anytime I have an unexpected visitor you are to be by my side to protect me. Many people would have my riches and I will _not_ have them putting a bullet inside of me in order to get it."

"Yes'm," Wolf mumbled then moved to stand in front of Levana.

"Ms. Cinder and Mr. Kai," Sybil introduced, opening the door wide open for the two guests to enter and standing to the side, where Scarlet knew she would obediently remain until the end of the visit.

Levana's eyes narrowed at the visitors. Scarlet knew that she was not happy about this- two teenagers daring to waste Levana's time? Scarlet's eyes swept over Cinder first- she was just as much of an oddity as Wolf was. She wore her brown hair in a ponytail, had tanned skin that was uncommon- what lady other than slaves spent so much time in the sun? Scarlet could see that she wore men's pants and boots beneath her dress as she moved to shake hands with Levana, who looked at her hand as if it were the single filthiest thing she had seen in her entire life.

Mr. Kai, on the other hand, was immaculately clean and suave. Scarlet wondered at his squinted eyes and pale, smooth skin. He was almost as pretty as a girl, in Scarlet's opinion.

"Scarlet," Levana snapped, causing Scarlet to immediately turn her attention to Levana. Wolf didn't take his eyes off of the visitors. "Get our… _guests…_ something to drink and eat."

"Oh, no. It's alright. We won't be here long," Cinder said, holding up both of her hands and shaking her head.

"I insist," Levana replied easily, taking a seat on the sofa as Scarlet scurried out of the room.

Scarlet hurried through the next room, bumping into the desk that Sybil oftentimes wrote letters at for Levana. Paper fluttered to the floor and Scarlet bent to pick it up, her eyes automatically scanning the sheet.

"To be sold on the thirtieth day of August…" Scarlet read, her heart suddenly stopping in her chest as she scanned quickly down the list. "Winter…" No. Scarlet gripped the paper, frozen in time for a minute before she realized that she had to compose herself. She didn't have the time to freak out right now.

She hurried to the kitchen and did not even bother asking one of the slaves to prepare anything. She quickly prepared a tray of iced tea with lemon, olives, cheese and crackers. The slaves gave her funny looks as she practically ran back to the room Levana and her company were in.

"…and so you see," Cinder said, placing an envelope on the table just as Scarlet placed the tray down, "I'd appreciate it if you could take this number into account."

Scarlet moved to just outside of the room, where she could eavesdrop but remain out of Levana's line of vision. Once, she had gotten angry with a guest and ended up throwing a fork, barely missing Scarlet's face.

Levana daintily picked up the envelope and handed it to Wolf, who opened it and handed it back. She slowly took the paper out and examined it before balling it up and tossing it onto the floor.

She then let out quite the obnoxious laugh, causing Cinder and Kai to frown before wiping her fake-tear from her eye. "My dear, you really expect me to sell _my_ slave to you for such a low price? Do you even know who I am?"

Cinder nodded. "I do, actually."

"You must not. Anyone who knows who I am would not insult me in such a way."

"Ms. Levana…I assure you that-" Kai tried, but stopped when Levana raised a hand.

"Your stepmother sold me that slave because _you_ had grown too attached to that which was not yours. Yet you expect me to sell her to you…and at _this_ price? Your mind is even more preposterous than your clothing, young lady."

Cinder clenched her skirts in her hands. Scarlet would have loved for Cinder to punch Levana in the face, but she guessed that Wolf would rip her apart before she could even make contact.

"How much, then?" Cinder finally asked.

"The slave called Iko is not for sale. That is final," Levana replied, "especially not to someone who is such a nig-"

"We understand," Kai said, this time being the one to hold a hand up. He stood to his feet and tipped his head at Levana. "We'll be taking our leave now."

"I trust that you know your way out. I won't have Sybil wasting her time with it," Levana said coolly.

Cinder bristled again, but Kai managed to lead her to the door. Before they exited, Cinder turned a defiant eye onto Levana. "I will get Iko back, Levana. Mark my words."

When the door closed, Levana tutted, sipped a bit of the tea, and looked at Sybil. "Add that Iko slave to the list. Make sure we sell her for a price that will be impossible for those two to fetch. Also, make sure she goes _far,_ far away."

Sybil nodded, smiling. "Of course, ma'am. That particular slave has seamstress experience. She will be quite easy to sell."

"Excellent," Levana said, standing. "Wolf, walk me to my quarters. I am quite tuckered out and would like to nap."

Wolf nodded and walked behind the woman. Scarlet waited until Sybil exited the room before jetting as quickly as she could manage in her skirts outside. She raced down the trails, heading towards the fields where Cinder was sure to have traveled. She grinned when Cinder came into view.

* * *

Cinder could not believe it. Levana was well past infuriating. She was mind-boggling. Cinder and everyone else knew that Levana was not lacking in money- she could have accepted Cinder's offer without making a dent in her financial gains. No, Levana was simply selfish and proud. She didn't want to sell Iko simply because she wanted to punish Cinder for loving a slave.

As Cinder and Kai scanned the fields, Cinder held back the urge to just start calling Iko's name. The fields were too vast anyways and Iko might not even be charged with picking the cotton. She could have been anywhere else on the plantation…

Cinder stopped walking.

She stared into brown eyes that weren't Iko's, but ones that nevertheless gave her pause. Unlike Levana's other slaves, this one did not have a hint of despair or sadness. She didn't even avert her gaze.

She stared straight at Cinder as if she could read her soul with a single mischievous look on her beautiful face.

"Cinder?"

Cinder blinked, thinking she was hearing things. Her eyes widened, scanning the field until not too far from the beautiful slave, until they landed on Iko.

"Cinder!" Iko shouted, dropping her basket, racing towards Cinder.

Cinder thought her heart would burst. She made to run towards Iko, but ended up crying out in horror when a large man with dark hair suddenly slammed his hand around Iko's throat and slammed her onto the ground. The slaves surrounding them scurried out of the way as Iko gasped for hair, the man's hand choking her neck.

"Stop!" Cinder and Kai shouted at the same time, but Cinder made it to them quicker. She pounded her hands on the man's back. "Stop it! Stop! You'll kill her!" Cinder cried, looking down at Iko, whose eyes were bulging out as she tried in vain to scratch at the man's arms.

"Aimery. Enough."

Aimery huffed, let go of Iko, and turned to face a pony-tailed blond who couldn't have been much older than Cinder. Aimery laughed.

"You think you have authority here, boy?" he spat, "this slave is out of line and you know it."

"I doubt the missus would want you killing a slave who could be working though," a voice said from behind the blond. Cinder looked up from helping a coughing Iko off of the ground to the redhead who had been inside of Levana's house. She had her hands on her hips and an infuriated expression. "And before you ask," she continued, "I _do_ have authority here."

Aimery spat at the ground before shouting, "all of you get back to work. Next slave who so much as breathes the wrong way is gonna get it."

The slaves hurried back to work. Iko gave Cinder a watery smile and squeezed her hand before turning away. Cinder squeezed Iko's shoulder and whispered as lowly as she could, "I'm sorry, Iko. But I'll be back. I promise."

Iko nodded and walked away back to her original position, rubbing at her neck.

"Let me accompany you two to your carriage," Scarlet said, placing a reassuring hand on Cinder's back. Cinder only stared at her warily before walking back down the trail.

When they were at the carriage, Scarlet stopped Cinder before she could hoist herself up. "Iko is a nice girl."

Cinder turned, raising her eyebrows.

"Now that you've angered Levana, she'll sell Iko in two months' time and you'll never be able to get her back."

"Why are you telling me this?" Cinder asked slowly, Kai leaning down from the carriage to listen in as well.

Scarlet took a deep breath, staring at the two of them with wary eyes but with an expression that said she had made a final decision.

"…because I can help you to help Iko escape. _But_ you have to take a slave called Winter too."


End file.
